Happy almost Friday everyone! It’s been quite a busy week for me, in and out of work, so I’m glad the weekend is just around the corner!! I’m going to see Captain Fantastic tonight so very excited for that.

Ok, about those links…

Meanwhile, Courtney argued that Swiss Army Manmight be the most uplifting movie yet

I love birthday tributes and Margaret just posted a massive one on the legendary Harrison Ford

Steven posted a review one of my brothers’ favorites, Smokey and the Bandit

Well, we can’t agree on everything but that’s what makes blogging fun, right? Eddie reviewed Midnight Special and Jordan reviewed Sing Street, they feel quite differently than I did about each movie.

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Trailers Spotlight

This week I’m highlighting two movies that deal with forbidden romance, relationships that break the rules of sort, though both are set in very different circumstances. Whether it’s society’s rules of the time or rules mandated by strict employers, the couples in these films face challenges to stay together. Both films are released in November.

LOVING

Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, are sentenced to prison in Virginia in 1958 for getting married.

Check out the brand new trailer:

“I know we have some enemies. But we have some friends too.”– Mildred Loving

This beautifully-shot film is poised to be a real tearjerker. I love Nichols’ work, as well as Joel Edgerton and Nichols’ muse Michael Shannon. But it’s Ruth Negga‘s performance I’m most looking forward to seeing. I cried just watching this trailer, it’s certainly a timely film, especially in light of recent events in my state as well as in Texas. As a non-White person who have many friends who married people outside of their own race, this is certainly a topic I’m intrigued by. In fact, before I met my hubby who shares my Southeast Asian heritage, back in college I’ve gone on dates with a Latino, as well as Caucasian guys. I remember feeling a bit uneasy walking or dining with my White boyfriend in the small town I lived in, as some older people would stare. I don’t think they meant any harm though, so I can’t imagine what the Loving couple had to go through endure living in 1950s America!

Director Jeff Nichols was able to tell the story of the Loving family as accurately as possible by relying on Nancy Buirski’s documentary The Loving Story (2011), which captured many details of their private lives: “We had this beautiful documentary footage unearthed from the mid-’60s where we got to go into their home and see them and watch them,” Nichols said. “It’s an unusual thing to have access to.” (per IMDb)

An aspiring young actress (Lily Collins) and her ambitious young driver (Alden Ehrenreich) struggle hopefully with the absurd eccentricities of the wildly unpredictable billionaire (Warren Beatty), who they work for.

It’s Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey (Collins), under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes (Ehrenreich), who is engaged to be married to his 7th grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious Methodist. Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes’ #1 rule: no employee is allowed to have any relationship whatsoever with a contract actress.

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This one seems to have a similar comedic vibe as Hail, Caesar!, and hey, the new Han Solo Alden Ehrenreich is in this, too. Hopefully this one will be a better movie though. It’s also got has an amazing cast, interesting to see Bening & Beatty working together again (after Bugsy & Love Affair in the 90s), haven’t seen either one of them in ages. I haven’t seen Matthew Broderick in a long time either, he looks pretty funny here.

Apparently Warren Beatty first pitched a Howard Hughes biopic as early as 1973. He continually tried to get a film involving Hughes off the ground every year or two since then. One can say it’s a film 40 years in the making. (per IMDb)

Thanks so much for the mention Ruth. Really appreciate it. As for the trailers, you know how enthusiastic I am for anything Jeff Nichols does. I’m really excited for Loving. And that is the first I have seen of Rules Don’t Apply. It looks like a hoot.

And you mentioned Hail Caesar! I’m rewatching it tonight hoping for a better impression than before.

You’re welcome Keith! Yeah, Nichols seems pretty consistent in his work, and I always love a good love story, and this one is as timely as ever. Rules Don’t Apply is just released today, but yeah, looks like fun.

Loving looks great as I definitely want to see that. Rules Don’t Apply might be good as long as Warren Beatty keeps his ego in check for this film as the last time he did a film, the budget went bigger all because he wanted more takes and things went horrible to the point that the film flopped. The movie was Town & Country and…. whoa…. it was horrible.

Loving looks great. I’m really looking forward to it. Question: weren’t two other stars once attached to this? I think I remember hearing about this a couple years ago, but starring someone else.

I’m on the fence about Rules Don’t Apply after that trailer. It feels like a bad spoof of The Aviator with Beatty chewing scenery left, right, and center. I’ll probably see it, but I won’t be in a rush.

My pleasure Dell! I don’t remember about the actors previously cast for ‘Loving’ but I like the cast they have now, and I think both Shannon and Edgerton have worked w/ Nichols before. Ahah, a spoof of The Aviator, well I hope that won’t be the case. I think the focus is more about how the lives of the two young lovebirds intersect w/ the eccentric billionaire’s.

Hey, nothing to be embarrassed about, I mean if you haven’t found the right person there’s no shame in that. I was fortunate I met my hubby in college, who’s also from my home country even though we’re thousands of miles away from home. I was blessed I didn’t have to *kiss a lot of frogs* as they say before I found my prince, but at the same time I tell people not to rush into things when it comes to love.

I’m on the Nichols too, hopefully this one will be good like his other pictures.

You know I watched Hail Caesars! on the flight to San Francisco, enjoyed the first half of it but then I thought The Coen Brothers somehow didn’t know how to move the story forward or something, I ended up very disappointed. Probably one of the few films of theirs that I thought they didn’t think all the way through. Beatty’s Rules Don’t Apply looks interesting but it’s not a picture I’d run out to see on opening weekend.

Hi Ted! I totally agree w/ Hail, Caesar! It had a lot of potential and the first half was indeed promising, but then it just went off the rails. The finale, esp in regards to Channing Tatum’s character is just preposterous and just plain silly.

I can’t decide how I feel about Loving, especially Joel Edgerton’s performance. I have to say though that I recently discovered Ruth Negga in a very different role on AMC’s Preacher and think she’s a very interesting actress.

I really like Joel, he seems to be a consistent actor. I saw him in a tiny Aussie indie ‘Felony’ and he’s terrific in that. I haven’t seen Preacher yet but I might when it’s out on Netflix. It’s cool to see an actress who shares my first name, it’s pretty rare 🙂

Haha that’s true, I even thought of that when I was writing her name. I like Joel too (though he was a bit much in The Great Gatsby but that was probably the point). I’m just not sure I’m on board with what his performance in that preview but sometimes it can be so hard to tell til you actually see the movie.

About me

Hello I'm Ruth! Film is in my blood. LOVE movies of all genres, from Jane Austen to James Bond. Official blogger for the Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF). I've recently completed my first feature screenplay & produced my first short film HEARTS WANT. Visit facebook.com/heartswantfilm

Trivia on Blade Runner 2049

Denis Villeneuve noted that he's fully aware of the immense pressure he's under, and how hardcore fans of the original view the prospect of a new film: "I know that every single fan will walk into the theater with a baseball bat. I'm aware of that and I respect that, and it's okay with me because it's art. Art is risk, and I have to take risks. It's gonna be the biggest risk of my life but I'm okay with that. For me it's very exciting... It's just so inspiring, I'm so inspired. I've been dreaming to do sci-fi since I was 10 years old, and I said 'no' to a lot of sequels. I couldn't say 'no' to Blade Runner 2049 (2017). I love it too much, so I said, 'Alright, I will do it and give everything I have to make it great.'"

Initially, Denis Villeneuve was against the concept of a sequel to Blade Runner (1982), as he felt it could violate the original. But after reading the script, which he and Harrison Ford have described as "one of the best" they have ever read, he committed to the project, stating that Ford was already involved at that point: "To be very honest with you, Harrison was part of the project before I arrived. He was attached to it right from the start with Ridley [Scott]. I met him and he's honestly one of the nicest human beings I've met and is one of my favorite actors of all time, so for me it's a lot of pleasure."

Jared Leto was introduced to Denis Villeneuve by his close friend Jean-Marc Vallée, who had directed Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (2013).

Emily Blunt was considered for a role but she declined due to her pregnancy.

This sequel is set to be released on October 6, 2017, just ten years and one day after the Final Cut version of the first film premiered in Los Angeles.

The sequel which takes place 30 years after Blade Runner (1982) is the story of new Blade Runner Officer K (Ryan Gosling) as he searches Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) whom has disappeared. In Harrison Ford's earlier science fiction film Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) which took place 30 years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), The film's main protagonists Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) are searching for Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) whom disappeared. Harrison Ford played Han Solo in the Star Wars films.